While cleaning out my coat closet just now (yes, I am cleaning out my coat closet instead of doing grades, which should surprise exactly no one) I discovered the missing piece to what I hadn't fully realized was a puzzle.
See, two weeks ago, the counselor sent home an invitation to Pinball Boy's father to come in for a meeting -- one via Pinball Boy, and one via metered mail. The day of the conference, Pinball Boy's father called to say that he had just that morning received the notice by mail, and that this wasn't sufficient notice, and could we reschedule for this week? Obviously, we did. (He then failed to show up this week at the rescheduled conference because he thought it was on Thursday instead of Wednesday. The apple, apparently, falleth not far from the tree.)
Now, all through the preceding week, Pinball Boy had been asking could he go see the counselor, because "his dad" wanted to know why he had to come in for a meeting, and what it was about, and all this stuff. Having been well schooled in the wily ways of parents, I thought nothing of this contradictory state of affairs until ten minutes ago, when I found myself digging in a crate half-buried behind a box of paper, in which I found, halfway down and obviously planted there, the envelope addressed to "the parents of Pinball Boy." (His coat hook is on the opposite side of the closet.) Heh heh heh.
So, there's one more bit of evidence (in addition to my copious anecdotal records and math tests and spelling tests) for the meeting which (I hope) will take place next Wednesday.
I really want to like this boy. He's an engaging kid, and he's got a good sense of humor, but the fact that I am apparently one of the only teachers in the school who has any trouble with him dampens my affection, I have to admit. I don't like being the only one defeated by him. (and of course, if I were to ask any of these other teachers to come in and observe, Heisenberg would spoil everything for me. Hidden cameras, maybe...?)
In any case, evening engagements call. Plus, I've been in this building (again) for almost thirteen hours today. Yech. Time to gather a big stack of grade-able papers and be on my way.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
*breath*
(First off, hello to my parents, who requested a link.)
This week is so much better than last week. I don't think this has anything to do with the kids themselves -- one girl (the same one as usual) got suspended on Monday for the passing of graphic and violent notes, my two crazy boys (turn-into-mush boy and Pinball Machine Boy -- I think I'll start calling him Pinball in this context) are still completely nuts, and the rest of them are as obnoxious as ever. But Thanksgiving was restful and rejuvenating.
Even if I did scare a few of my relatives with my response to "so how's teaching going?" which was basically to smile brightly (not -quite- maniacally) and announce "I hate it! It's terrible!" Heh heh.
Been having two kids per day up this week to help me with various projects -- two on Monday to help cut out paper squares for math, and two each yesterday and today to clean out various closets. I am ALMOST finished getting the previous tenants' stuff out (I'm dealing with layers of detritus here. I almost feel like an archaeologist). Today I found a crate full of first-grade science textbooks, including the teacher's edition. Apparently they've been looking for it since September.
Instituted incentive pads on their desks, with a smily-face for each day ended on a green card (as opposed to the yellow warning card, the orange first-consequence card, and the red note-home card.) At five smilies, they get a small treat (piece of candy, pencil, eraser, etc.) and at a whole page full they get a big treat (fun lunch with me, free homework pass, some other things I've yet to think of.) It's kind of depressing how few kids wind up with a green card every day. It's also kind of depressing how much I have to bribe them to behave themselves. (Not that it works for all of them. Maybe once they see the incentive sheets in action?) On the bright side, this is a cumulative reward system, so everyone has the hope of getting it at least once, as opposed to Fun Friday, which some of my kids are basically never going to achieve. Sigh. I don't like school-wide behavior systems, or at least not this one.
Four phone calls home tonight. One to attempt to reschedule a conference, one to try to find a note home that the child did not return, one to make contact about a missed conference for Pinball Boy (hopefully next week) and one for turn-into-mush boy that I've been meaning to make for almost a week. Did not call Note Girl's mother, even though I meant to, because I forgot to bring her phone number home. I'll try to call her at lunch tomorrow.
Not at all sure what to do with Note Girl. She's very angry about a bunch of things, and I'm having trouble getting through. Hopefully they can get her into CATCH, which is a school-based therapy program. She needs to talk things out with SOMEONE.
Basically, I just wish my room were larger. If I could actually separate my students, there might be fewer disruptions. But as it stands, I can only get them maybe four feet from each other, which is nowhere near far enough. And enough of them have interactive problems that the calculus of room-arrangement is REALLY difficult.
Also, grades are due at the end of this week. I have nowhere NEAR enough done on that (nor do I have a whole heck of a lot of work, but I'll do what I can.) I also need to submit two writing samples by Friday afternoon. Guess what we'll be doing tomorrow and the next day...
Just realized that i left my phone at home and P is probably trying to call me. (on top of everything else, my computer is dead, again. This time, under somewhat suspicious circumstances. Sigh.) Off I go.
This week is so much better than last week. I don't think this has anything to do with the kids themselves -- one girl (the same one as usual) got suspended on Monday for the passing of graphic and violent notes, my two crazy boys (turn-into-mush boy and Pinball Machine Boy -- I think I'll start calling him Pinball in this context) are still completely nuts, and the rest of them are as obnoxious as ever. But Thanksgiving was restful and rejuvenating.
Even if I did scare a few of my relatives with my response to "so how's teaching going?" which was basically to smile brightly (not -quite- maniacally) and announce "I hate it! It's terrible!" Heh heh.
Been having two kids per day up this week to help me with various projects -- two on Monday to help cut out paper squares for math, and two each yesterday and today to clean out various closets. I am ALMOST finished getting the previous tenants' stuff out (I'm dealing with layers of detritus here. I almost feel like an archaeologist). Today I found a crate full of first-grade science textbooks, including the teacher's edition. Apparently they've been looking for it since September.
Instituted incentive pads on their desks, with a smily-face for each day ended on a green card (as opposed to the yellow warning card, the orange first-consequence card, and the red note-home card.) At five smilies, they get a small treat (piece of candy, pencil, eraser, etc.) and at a whole page full they get a big treat (fun lunch with me, free homework pass, some other things I've yet to think of.) It's kind of depressing how few kids wind up with a green card every day. It's also kind of depressing how much I have to bribe them to behave themselves. (Not that it works for all of them. Maybe once they see the incentive sheets in action?) On the bright side, this is a cumulative reward system, so everyone has the hope of getting it at least once, as opposed to Fun Friday, which some of my kids are basically never going to achieve. Sigh. I don't like school-wide behavior systems, or at least not this one.
Four phone calls home tonight. One to attempt to reschedule a conference, one to try to find a note home that the child did not return, one to make contact about a missed conference for Pinball Boy (hopefully next week) and one for turn-into-mush boy that I've been meaning to make for almost a week. Did not call Note Girl's mother, even though I meant to, because I forgot to bring her phone number home. I'll try to call her at lunch tomorrow.
Not at all sure what to do with Note Girl. She's very angry about a bunch of things, and I'm having trouble getting through. Hopefully they can get her into CATCH, which is a school-based therapy program. She needs to talk things out with SOMEONE.
Basically, I just wish my room were larger. If I could actually separate my students, there might be fewer disruptions. But as it stands, I can only get them maybe four feet from each other, which is nowhere near far enough. And enough of them have interactive problems that the calculus of room-arrangement is REALLY difficult.
Also, grades are due at the end of this week. I have nowhere NEAR enough done on that (nor do I have a whole heck of a lot of work, but I'll do what I can.) I also need to submit two writing samples by Friday afternoon. Guess what we'll be doing tomorrow and the next day...
Just realized that i left my phone at home and P is probably trying to call me. (on top of everything else, my computer is dead, again. This time, under somewhat suspicious circumstances. Sigh.) Off I go.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Today's Lesson: Identify yourself immediately when calling parents.
Otherwise they think you're a bill collector and won't talk to you.
today was utterly lousy.
yesterday morning was all right. we did Common Nouns and Proper Nouns, (i have yet to follow up; maybe tomorrow?), and again I let them get up and wander around collecting nouns. I think we'll make a list tomorrow, put it up on chart paper next to our list of measurements. If I can get them to sit still long enough.
The note passing thing in my classroom is getting out of hand. Two of the worst offenders (girls, of course, one of previous note-passing notoriety) today passed each other a note (intercepted and handed to me by a third girl) saying, essentially, "I'm gonna fuck that b*tch up," and "I'm right there with you." Since they both got in a good deal of trouble today, I can only assume they meant me. Unfortunately for one of them, she has distinctive handwriting. The counselor will be hearing about this, oh dear me yes.
I need to find a way to make these lessons engaging. The more reading they have to sit and do, the less I can keep them focused. Unfortunately, a good portion of the science curriculum is based on reading a textbook, and I have yet to figure out how to get them to do the experiments without collapsing into chaos. They won't work in groups, they fight all the time... ARGH.
I'm starting to really feel badly for A, one of the few good boys in my class. He's pretty smart (possibly gifted), obviously bored, and utterly fed up with the shenanigans of his classmates. He's the substitute on the job board this week, which meant that today he was both line leader and librarian. He actually sorted the books according to my baskets, did a quick, neat, and careful job, and went back to his seat when he was done. When the other line leader lost his job, he came immediately to the front, saying "excuse me" the whole way, and stood quietly. I need to call his parents and tell them how much I love him.
I'm trying to decide whether to allow him to sit alone, or at least to switch his desk to another team. He asks me every day if he can move his desk. The problem of course -- well, there are two problems, which have their own sub-problems. One, if I let him move his desk everyone else immediately wants to move theirs. Two, anywhere else I could put him will have an equal Shenanigans quotient as he's dealing with now. I'd love to put the quiet kids together, but of course if I did that the obnoxious ones would also be together. And obnoxiousness, as we all know, increases geometrically as the proximity to other obnoxiousness increases.
Sigh.
What I really need to do is just put the other boy at his table at his own island. That would probably solve a whole bunch of problems -- if, of course, I could get him to go without destroying things on the way.
Argh, argh, argh.
It's almost 11, and I'm still kind of sick. (That's been the other fun part of this week.) off to sleep with me.
today was utterly lousy.
yesterday morning was all right. we did Common Nouns and Proper Nouns, (i have yet to follow up; maybe tomorrow?), and again I let them get up and wander around collecting nouns. I think we'll make a list tomorrow, put it up on chart paper next to our list of measurements. If I can get them to sit still long enough.
The note passing thing in my classroom is getting out of hand. Two of the worst offenders (girls, of course, one of previous note-passing notoriety) today passed each other a note (intercepted and handed to me by a third girl) saying, essentially, "I'm gonna fuck that b*tch up," and "I'm right there with you." Since they both got in a good deal of trouble today, I can only assume they meant me. Unfortunately for one of them, she has distinctive handwriting. The counselor will be hearing about this, oh dear me yes.
I need to find a way to make these lessons engaging. The more reading they have to sit and do, the less I can keep them focused. Unfortunately, a good portion of the science curriculum is based on reading a textbook, and I have yet to figure out how to get them to do the experiments without collapsing into chaos. They won't work in groups, they fight all the time... ARGH.
I'm starting to really feel badly for A, one of the few good boys in my class. He's pretty smart (possibly gifted), obviously bored, and utterly fed up with the shenanigans of his classmates. He's the substitute on the job board this week, which meant that today he was both line leader and librarian. He actually sorted the books according to my baskets, did a quick, neat, and careful job, and went back to his seat when he was done. When the other line leader lost his job, he came immediately to the front, saying "excuse me" the whole way, and stood quietly. I need to call his parents and tell them how much I love him.
I'm trying to decide whether to allow him to sit alone, or at least to switch his desk to another team. He asks me every day if he can move his desk. The problem of course -- well, there are two problems, which have their own sub-problems. One, if I let him move his desk everyone else immediately wants to move theirs. Two, anywhere else I could put him will have an equal Shenanigans quotient as he's dealing with now. I'd love to put the quiet kids together, but of course if I did that the obnoxious ones would also be together. And obnoxiousness, as we all know, increases geometrically as the proximity to other obnoxiousness increases.
Sigh.
What I really need to do is just put the other boy at his table at his own island. That would probably solve a whole bunch of problems -- if, of course, I could get him to go without destroying things on the way.
Argh, argh, argh.
It's almost 11, and I'm still kind of sick. (That's been the other fun part of this week.) off to sleep with me.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Utter Fstarking Lunacy+3-day weekend= almost sane again.
Friday was insane. Thursday was actually worse, being the instigator of the drama, but Friday was the aftermath, so while it wasn't as painful it was more involved and took longer.
Basically, I discovered a note in one of my students' desks that was incriminatingly sexual. (I'm not proud of how I discovered it. I can't let my anger impair my judgment like that.) Basically, Boy touched Girl inappropriately, Girl wrote him a note about it, and over its multiple back-and-forths wound up asking if he would like to "do it" to her.
ARGH.
Now, fortunately, the author of this note was not the girl in my class who actually has been a victim of sexual abuse (although she was sitting near him in my class for a while, so I am currently praying as hard as I can that Boy did not spread his efforts around). However, this only means that The Icing on the Cake has not been applied.
Of course, when I found this note (Thursday) the counselor was unavailable. I mentioned it to Upstairs Friendly Teacher (see previous note) who said that it would be OK to let it go until Friday, when Counselor would be available again, but to take care of it first thing in the morning. Obviously, I did -- I was not eager to have this thing burning a hole in my desk drawer any longer than necessary.
So, it got dealt with, over the course of the entire damn day. Boy flipped out, of course (I mean, he's eight) and was basically done for the rest of the day. Girl gets on my nerves anyway... Suffice to say, obnoxious day all around.
Best part was when the father of Boy shows up after school (innocuously -- looking for Boy's hat) and Counselor has gone home, so I get to go hunting for the principal and tell him what's up myself. Gah, gah, GAH.
Good part of Friday was math. They're doing a unit on measurement, and after having them do some seat work with their rulers on one-inch measurements, I allowed them to get up and walk around to do one-foot measurements. They had a good time, they didn't get in fights, and afterward we had a nice list of measurements. (I had to do the one-yard measurements, because we only have one yardstick. I think, upon reflection, that this is not necessarily a bad thing.) I wish I had more wall space for putting these things up in the classroom. My kingdom for a chart-paper holder. :P (More things for the DonorsChoose shopping list!) Hopefully the rest of the unit will provide more opportunities for moving around.
I need to incorporate more moving around into my lessons in general. It seems that they can focus on one thing but for so long while seated. Also need to start doing guided reading. I'd like to organize my morning literacy block like Mr. Byrd did -- four activities a day, in 20-minute segments -- so we'll see if I can work that out. Guided reading, journals, trophies, and somethingelsebutwhat? Grammar? Spelling?
Trying to get all my lesson plans for the week done today, between fending off a head cold and just generally wanting to go back to bed. At least it's a four-day week... and I'm almost done with literacy plans.
All I really want is one 8-hour day in which to go in to school and organize. Everyone else got those at the beginning of the year, why can't I have one?
Basically, I discovered a note in one of my students' desks that was incriminatingly sexual. (I'm not proud of how I discovered it. I can't let my anger impair my judgment like that.) Basically, Boy touched Girl inappropriately, Girl wrote him a note about it, and over its multiple back-and-forths wound up asking if he would like to "do it" to her.
ARGH.
Now, fortunately, the author of this note was not the girl in my class who actually has been a victim of sexual abuse (although she was sitting near him in my class for a while, so I am currently praying as hard as I can that Boy did not spread his efforts around). However, this only means that The Icing on the Cake has not been applied.
Of course, when I found this note (Thursday) the counselor was unavailable. I mentioned it to Upstairs Friendly Teacher (see previous note) who said that it would be OK to let it go until Friday, when Counselor would be available again, but to take care of it first thing in the morning. Obviously, I did -- I was not eager to have this thing burning a hole in my desk drawer any longer than necessary.
So, it got dealt with, over the course of the entire damn day. Boy flipped out, of course (I mean, he's eight) and was basically done for the rest of the day. Girl gets on my nerves anyway... Suffice to say, obnoxious day all around.
Best part was when the father of Boy shows up after school (innocuously -- looking for Boy's hat) and Counselor has gone home, so I get to go hunting for the principal and tell him what's up myself. Gah, gah, GAH.
Good part of Friday was math. They're doing a unit on measurement, and after having them do some seat work with their rulers on one-inch measurements, I allowed them to get up and walk around to do one-foot measurements. They had a good time, they didn't get in fights, and afterward we had a nice list of measurements. (I had to do the one-yard measurements, because we only have one yardstick. I think, upon reflection, that this is not necessarily a bad thing.) I wish I had more wall space for putting these things up in the classroom. My kingdom for a chart-paper holder. :P (More things for the DonorsChoose shopping list!) Hopefully the rest of the unit will provide more opportunities for moving around.
I need to incorporate more moving around into my lessons in general. It seems that they can focus on one thing but for so long while seated. Also need to start doing guided reading. I'd like to organize my morning literacy block like Mr. Byrd did -- four activities a day, in 20-minute segments -- so we'll see if I can work that out. Guided reading, journals, trophies, and somethingelsebutwhat? Grammar? Spelling?
Trying to get all my lesson plans for the week done today, between fending off a head cold and just generally wanting to go back to bed. At least it's a four-day week... and I'm almost done with literacy plans.
All I really want is one 8-hour day in which to go in to school and organize. Everyone else got those at the beginning of the year, why can't I have one?
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Today's solitary bright spot
The 8th grade teacher upstairs has taken me under her wing. I was beginning to despair of anything remotely resembling a mentor.
Other than that... Today was a day when I need someone to remind me why I'm doing this.
Other than that... Today was a day when I need someone to remind me why I'm doing this.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Distraction
I keep starting posts and not finishing them.
Haven't written in my paper journal in a while either. Writing is helpful, but finding the energy is hard. (Plus I always have a grillion other things I need to be doing.)
Called K2's dad tonight, re: helping him cope with classmates ragging on him without turning into a flaming fireball of shouting and/or weeping. Emphasized that he wasn't in trouble, but that I was concerned and wanted to help him be successful. We'll see how that went over in the morning, I guess.
Three prep periods today, and two tomorrow. Today two of them were for grade group/CSAP meetings (CSAP is basically where you troubleshoot problem kids), but I cannot figure out why I have two tomorrow. Weird as it sounds, I would actually like to have time to do some TEACHING once in a while... :P
Haven't written in my paper journal in a while either. Writing is helpful, but finding the energy is hard. (Plus I always have a grillion other things I need to be doing.)
Called K2's dad tonight, re: helping him cope with classmates ragging on him without turning into a flaming fireball of shouting and/or weeping. Emphasized that he wasn't in trouble, but that I was concerned and wanted to help him be successful. We'll see how that went over in the morning, I guess.
Three prep periods today, and two tomorrow. Today two of them were for grade group/CSAP meetings (CSAP is basically where you troubleshoot problem kids), but I cannot figure out why I have two tomorrow. Weird as it sounds, I would actually like to have time to do some TEACHING once in a while... :P
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Frustration
Professional development day today, since it was election day and the schools are polling places. Instead of being able to get more work done in my classroom (organizing my desk, cleaning out the closets, labeling/sorting more books for the library), I spent the ENTIRE DAY in a "new teacher orientation." I suppose it makes sense to do it on a professional development day, since all the teachers are free, but I needed the time at least as much to get the classroom organized... and honestly, it's information I could have used BEFORE I got started, rather than over a week into things when I've already started to develop a routine. Guh.
They're really insistent about this whole "school behavior plan" thing, and I still don't like it.
They're really insistent about this whole "school behavior plan" thing, and I still don't like it.
Monday, November 05, 2007
On a brighter note, because I should catalog those too
K had a seriously fantastic day. He had to turn his card once this morning, but buckled down to the point that I allowed him to turn it back before lunchtime. There is an empty desk near his, and I mentioned -- almost in passing -- this morning that if he needed a break, that was where he should sit. Later in the morning, I noticed that he had moved over there, and asked if he was taking a break. He nodded (about all one can really expect) and after about 5 minutes, I suggested that he move back to his desk and get to work, which he did. He had no trouble with his math test in the afternoon, actually managed NOT to be one of the kids who got into the general fistfight at recess, and got his spelling homework done before some of the kids had even copied the homework assignment. I need to dig up his phone number from off my desk and call his grandmother tonight to let her know how fabulous a day he had. (I mean, he'll probably be off the wall again on Wednesday. But one day at a time.)
It's probably premature to think I've Got A Handle on K, but the next issue will be K2, who is more generalizedly bonkers, and I think just needs more activity in his day, not to mention constructive outlets for vocal expression. (He has the potential to grow up to be a really fabulous hip hop beatboxer, if I can only find a way for him to develop the talent without driving me up a wall.) I wonder if I can prescribe laps around the recess yard afer lunch....
It's probably premature to think I've Got A Handle on K, but the next issue will be K2, who is more generalizedly bonkers, and I think just needs more activity in his day, not to mention constructive outlets for vocal expression. (He has the potential to grow up to be a really fabulous hip hop beatboxer, if I can only find a way for him to develop the talent without driving me up a wall.) I wonder if I can prescribe laps around the recess yard afer lunch....
Laryngitis. Oh, lovely.
We knew it was coming. I got just enough rest over the weekend for my body to believe it could afford to get sick, but not quite enough to either (a) get all the way sick or (b) get over it. So I've got a sore throat, and sixteen shouty kids. Bleah.
My desk is still a mess. Maybe I'll get to spend some time tomorrow organizing things -- at least I won't be so crazy exhausted at 3:15 that I can't get anything done.
The teacher who used to have the 3/4 split gave me the wrong teacher's edition for the next set of literacy story-segments. I didn't notice until the end of the day when they wanted to know what the spelling words were. O_o For a worksheet they shouldn't have been getting for several months, they did remarkably well... And of course all my work from the weekend on the train is wasted (or at least everything related to literacy). One more thing to do tomorrow.
I bet I'm the only damn one in the school at 7am tomorrow. But there's just too much to do.
Today's fun quandary is: How do you get kids to not hit back when their parents tell them that hitting back is not only OK, but it's what they SHOULD do? How do you keep recess conflicts from escalating while allowing the kids to save face and not look like wusses?
Anyone?
Sigh.
My desk is still a mess. Maybe I'll get to spend some time tomorrow organizing things -- at least I won't be so crazy exhausted at 3:15 that I can't get anything done.
The teacher who used to have the 3/4 split gave me the wrong teacher's edition for the next set of literacy story-segments. I didn't notice until the end of the day when they wanted to know what the spelling words were. O_o For a worksheet they shouldn't have been getting for several months, they did remarkably well... And of course all my work from the weekend on the train is wasted (or at least everything related to literacy). One more thing to do tomorrow.
I bet I'm the only damn one in the school at 7am tomorrow. But there's just too much to do.
Today's fun quandary is: How do you get kids to not hit back when their parents tell them that hitting back is not only OK, but it's what they SHOULD do? How do you keep recess conflicts from escalating while allowing the kids to save face and not look like wusses?
Anyone?
Sigh.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Forgot to do my paper journal today, so this will have to do double duty.
Day after Halloween was not as horrific as I'd been afraid. Dylan was out again (second time this week) and several of the kids were sluggish and/or not feeling terribly well, but all in all not a bad day.
I'm feeling badly about keeping them in their desks all day, but am unsure what to do about it at this juncture. They're not even settled down enough for working in pairs, as we demonstrated with the science experiment we tried to do today and Tuesday. Noisy, yelling, not sharing, out of their seats... Frustrating. I want to get their desks in groups, but I have no idea how to do it. So many of my kids are just explosive with each other. Maybe I just need to steel myself for sending home lots of notes for a couple of weeks, and put them wherever I can. It almost feels like setting them up for failure... but on the other hand, the current arrangement is not going to work forever. And they are going to have to learn to work with each other, or at least near each other.
I'm at a loss for what to do about K, the boy I was writing about yesterday. He seems to have some emotional problems, and I'm having trouble finding a balance between expecting more of him than he's capable of providing and letting him get away with things. Sometimes he can take correction gracefully, and sometimes he just shuts down, and I can't get him to say a word. Sometimes he won't even nod his head. Fortunately his old teacher is across the hall... but I can't keep calling her out of her classroom every time he shuts down on me. I need to talk to her in the morning and see if she has some ideas for managing him.
Going to DC this weekend for my dad's concert. taking the business-class train, so as to have space to spread out and do my lesson plans. Looking forward to getting them done over the weekend, so that I only have to tweak them during the week rather than writing the whole damn things every night. I didn't have any choice this week, but hopefully I'll never have to do it again. >_<
Day after Halloween was not as horrific as I'd been afraid. Dylan was out again (second time this week) and several of the kids were sluggish and/or not feeling terribly well, but all in all not a bad day.
I'm feeling badly about keeping them in their desks all day, but am unsure what to do about it at this juncture. They're not even settled down enough for working in pairs, as we demonstrated with the science experiment we tried to do today and Tuesday. Noisy, yelling, not sharing, out of their seats... Frustrating. I want to get their desks in groups, but I have no idea how to do it. So many of my kids are just explosive with each other. Maybe I just need to steel myself for sending home lots of notes for a couple of weeks, and put them wherever I can. It almost feels like setting them up for failure... but on the other hand, the current arrangement is not going to work forever. And they are going to have to learn to work with each other, or at least near each other.
I'm at a loss for what to do about K, the boy I was writing about yesterday. He seems to have some emotional problems, and I'm having trouble finding a balance between expecting more of him than he's capable of providing and letting him get away with things. Sometimes he can take correction gracefully, and sometimes he just shuts down, and I can't get him to say a word. Sometimes he won't even nod his head. Fortunately his old teacher is across the hall... but I can't keep calling her out of her classroom every time he shuts down on me. I need to talk to her in the morning and see if she has some ideas for managing him.
Going to DC this weekend for my dad's concert. taking the business-class train, so as to have space to spread out and do my lesson plans. Looking forward to getting them done over the weekend, so that I only have to tweak them during the week rather than writing the whole damn things every night. I didn't have any choice this week, but hopefully I'll never have to do it again. >_<
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